Chapter 32: Milestone Reached

Upon returning to the Imperial Palace for an audience, Ying Rushi was surprised to find the air remarkably fresh.

The skylights and main gates were wide open, allowing gentle sunlight to stream directly into the great hall, where the architectural design reflected the light into every corner. A cross-breeze swept away the stagnant heat. Standing in the hall and looking up, one could see the towering, solemn dragon-carved ornaments. While the supreme gravitas of the throne remained palpable, there was no sense of oppression in her heart—only awe for imperial authority.

However, when Ying Rushi caught sight of the figure on the throne, her mind went blank, and she nearly lost her composure. By the time she regained her senses, she was already kneeling before the Sumeru pedestal.

Seated on the throne was, naturally, the Empress of Qi, Ying Le.

She was not dressed in disarray, nor was she unclad. Instead, she sat upright, encased in a full set of Silver Moon armor. Her pauldrons were carved with intricate dragon patterns, her breastplate fit her form perfectly, and her tassets overlapped like mountain ranges over her legs. The steel gauntlets on her hands were adorned with ferocious, sharp spikes.

She wore the Laurel Imperial Crown, and her long, raven-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, with a few strands brushing against her cold, stern face. Her hands rested upon a massive black-steel greatsword, its tip driven into the floor.

If the Ying Le of the past had been a volcano, a tsunami, a storm—an unmasked force of destruction—then the Ying Le before her now was like the deep sea or a high mountain: majestic, solemn, powerful, and heroic. Seeing her Empress in such a state, Ying Rushi was moved to tears of joy. She said with a trembling voice, "Ying Rushi, County Duke of Le-cheng, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Granted a seat."

A chair was immediately brought over, but Ying Rushi did not rise. Instead, she presented the long saber she held. "I am incompetent, Your Majesty. I failed to obtain the *Bing-zi Jiao-lin*, and could only secure this imitation blade, which possesses only a portion of its power."

At the Thieves' Home, Ying Rushi had struck a deal with Yan Qing: 500 spirit jades in exchange for a "sealed" blade.

Yan Qing had agreed readily. A "sealing" required 100 points of spiritual energy—which was effectively his cost in spirit jades. Furthermore, the more blades he sealed, the stronger the *Bing-zi Jiao-lin* became; he was eager for everyone to use his sealed weapons.

The sealing process had been time-consuming, as even a second-rank messenger’s spiritual energy cap could not exceed 100. Fortunately, the process involved a "continuous drain of spiritual energy," meaning Yan Qing could absorb spirit jades while performing the seal.

The design of this "continuous drain exceeding the level cap" essentially meant that the function could not be used during combat.

"Oh?"

Ying Le accepted the imitation blade. "It does indeed resemble a Pseudo-Zhou style war blade... I see. So, the power of the *Bing-zi Jiao-lin* is to enhance the performance of other weapons?"

"As Your Majesty surmised. The three powers of the *Bing-zi Jiao-lin* are Sealing, Pillar of the State, and Heaven-Overturning," Ying Rushi said, briefly explaining the effects. She added, "One cannot plunder within the Thieves' Home. To obtain legendary tokens, one must earn Thief Points according to their rules. Only by accumulating more points than others can one hope to win a legendary token in an auction."

"I failed to secure the *Bing-zi Jiao-lin*. Please, Your Majesty, punish me."

"There is no need," Ying Le said, setting the imitation blade aside. "Rushi, you are the most talented member of the imperial clan. I will need to rely on you to govern the country in the future. How could a legendary token be more important than you? You may continue to monitor the Thieves' Home, but prioritize your own safety; there is no need to force it."

Ying Rushi pressed her forehead to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "I shall devote my heart and soul to repaying Your Majesty’s grace!"

She removed the ring from her hand and offered it to Ying Le. "This is the storage ring I won at the auction in the Thieves' Home. It should be at Your Majesty's disposal."

Ying Le examined the storage ring for a moment and nodded. "Very well, I shall accept it. You may return and rest. By the way, you are aware of the public notice and the arrest warrants, are you not? Do not reveal your identity. There are countless messengers now coveting the bounties on your heads, and even the Nightless City may not be able to guarantee your safety."

"Understood!"

Even after leaving the palace, Ying Rushi remained dazed, as if in a dream, finding it hard to believe.

She never expected that after nine years—nine whole years of madness—the Empress would be able to regain her clarity, to return to the Phoenix-Auspicious Sovereign who once commanded the world with an iron will!

In Ying Rushi’s childhood, Ying Le had not been as she was now. She had been a commander who conquered in all directions, leading the Hundred-Protection Iron Cavalry to seize key secret realms along the border. She had crushed the Pseudo-Zhou alchemist Mo Ke and the Pseudo-Liang Shao Hu, returning with the immense prestige of conquest to govern with diligence, reform laws, encourage agriculture, and establish schools. She had brought such order to Qi that countless citizens built shrines in her honor, revering her as the Phoenix-Auspicious Sovereign.

That vitality, that era of flourishing growth, was still fresh in her memory.

This was why, even when Ying Le had acted against the grain for years, no one in the country dared to oppose or overthrow her. It was not just because of her strength, but because she only needed to raise an arm, and countless people who had benefited from her grace would flock to her side!

But after Ying Le reached the Foundation Establishment stage, everything changed. Power seemed like a curse, driving her to the opposite extreme: alcoholism, absurdity, cruelty, and madness—as if she were a monster wearing human skin.

But it didn't matter. She was back. Everything was back!

Upon returning to her residence, Ying Rushi found a team from the palace waiting at the gate.

"County Duke, this is a gift from Her Majesty," the eunuch said, holding out a treasure box.

Ying Rushi opened it to find a storage ring—one with three internal spaces, far more precious and rare than the one she had offered up!

She immediately knelt on the ground, eyes brimming with tears. "I, your servant, have received such great grace from Your Majesty. I shall serve with my utmost, until my dying breath!"

Meanwhile, inside the Qiankun Hall of the Imperial Palace.

The imitation blade changed shape in Ying Le’s hands, molded like clay. She looked at the iron lump in her hands, saliva dripping from her mouth. Yet, as if unaware, she continued to knead the iron, finally slamming it out with such force that it pierced through the refined gold gates of the hall!

She took two heavy breaths and pulled an arrest warrant from her robes.

[Suspect Number Three]
[Features: Wears a white fox mask, uses a long sword]
[Crime: Participation in the An-guo Temple heist]
[Threat Level: Third-rank combat power]
[Bounty: 20,000 spirit jades or a manual for advanced sword mastery]

"No rush, no rush. Must wait, must wait."

"I must endure, endure! I must let her bounty grow large enough—large enough to draw out the people from the Divine Marquis Mansion, large enough to draw out *that* person!"

"The Divine Marquis Mansion will surely come to hunt her down, and that person will come out too. They will!"

"One day, one day..."

...

Jiangnan City, the Shang family.

"So, do you understand your situation now?" Shang Qia’s voice carried both worry and a hint of schadenfreude. "The whole world has heard the notice from the Divine Marquis Mansion. Do you understand what that means?"

"I understand," Shang Xinlei nodded. "Third Brother, you’re jealous of me!"

"Bullshit! What would I be jealous of!"

"You’re jealous that I can disguise my identity to kill and burn in Chang'an, jealous that my exploits are known to every woman and child, and jealous that I can participate in such a thrilling and sensational adventure, while you can only stay at home and be scolded by Father."

"That’s not true!" Shang Qia’s face turned red. "And Father hasn't been scolding me lately!"

It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious. A worldwide notice! How many emperors, generals, scholars, and beauties, even with monumental achievements, could ever hope to have their names and deeds known by everyone in the world?

Yet, Shang Xinlei and the others had merely gone to Chang'an once and stolen something, and it had triggered a notice that shook the four seas and spread to the eight wildernesses! She didn't know if there would be anyone after them, but it was certainly unprecedented; even a thorough search through history books would reveal nothing of the sort!

The first time in history!

Although the worldwide notice had caused no substantive change, to the people of the time, it was nothing short of a miracle. Even messengers who had seen secret realms could not remain indifferent.

Watching his sister happily eating melon seeds, Shang Qia knew he couldn't get the better of her. He irritably handed a book to her.

The book had no title and only a few thin pages, yet Shang Xinlei's expression changed as she flipped through it.

It was a pamphlet introducing the secret realm known as the "Divine Marquis Mansion." It didn't contain much, simply mentioning the demons within—most of whom were above the third rank—and that the mansion did not exist in any one location; entry required a prop called the "Order to Reward Good and Punish Evil."

The last page mentioned that the treasure chests in the Divine Marquis Mansion produced a special spiritual medicine.

The medicine was called: Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Is the Divine Marquis Mansion the only place that produces Foundation Establishment Pills?" Shang Xinlei asked.

Shang Qia shook his head. "No, but most other places that produce them are fourth-rank secret realms."

Fourth-rank and third-rank secret realms were entirely different concepts. Third-rank realms could be conquered through the sheer sacrifice of many second- and first-rank messengers, but that was impossible for fourth-rank realms; only a team composed of fourth-rank messengers had a chance.

"In other words, the Divine Marquis Mansion is the only place where the vast majority of third-rank messengers can obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill," Shang Xinlei murmured. "Then, the Order to Reward Good and Punish Evil—"

"It is said that they can appear in the treasure chests of any secret realm," Shang Qia said. "Our family has controlled the 'Quiet Retreat' secret realm for decades, and the Order has appeared only once. But we immediately traded it away as a major bargaining chip, securing our family's noble status in the Great Liang for generations."

"What did Father say?"

"You must enter a secret realm immediately," Shang Qia said. "Even if someone could track you through a token, the isolation of the secret realm from the outside world would render it ineffective."

"I could actually just stay at the Thieves' Home," Shang Xinlei tilted her head. "I’d only need to come back here to bathe and eat. And it wouldn't be boring; after all, it seems Huang Quan stays at the Thieves' Home all the time..."

"Absolutely not!" Shang Qia panicked. "How can a man and a woman share a roof!"

"It’s not one room, we each have our own bedroom..."

"That’s still not okay. You should go hide in the Quiet Retreat."

"I've been there too many times, it's boring," Shang Xinlei said dismissively. "I’m going to the Wanderer’s Forest."

Shang Qia was startled. After a moment of reflection, he said, "The Wanderer’s Forest is indeed opening soon, but... that place is far more dangerous than the Quiet Retreat. Our family guards won't be able to help you. Do you really want to go?"

"I don't have to stay in the forest for long; I'll just go to see it, it won't be dangerous. Besides..."

Shang Xinlei glanced at the four arrest warrants on the table.

"I should try harder, too. I don't want to be in last place again after the next mission."

[Suspect Number Four]
[Features: Wears a red snake mask, weapon unknown]
[Crime: Participation in the An-guo Temple heist]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
[Bounty: 10,000 spirit jades or a manual for basic footwork mastery]

...

"Are you kidding me? Why is my bounty so much higher..."

At the Thieves' Home, Yan Qing logged into the 'Night Four' account on his game console and quickly found his arrest warrant.

He didn't even need to go to the city gates, as a message popped up in the game’s bottom-left chat box:

[(World Channel) Divine Marquis Mansion Notice: Four unknown petty thieves have recently arrived at the Thieves' Home. They successfully stole the legendary token *Bing-zi Jiao-lin* from the An-guo Temple in Chang'an. We hereby issue a warrant.]

The word "warrant" was a hyperlink. Clicking it jumped to the "Notice Board," an area that presumably displayed various real-time events in the game. Currently, there were no events, only four arrest warrants hanging there.

[Suspect Number One]
[Features: Wears a yellow dog mask, uses a long saber]
[Crime: Participation in the An-guo Temple heist]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
[Bounty: 100,000 spirit jades or the legendary token *Bing-zi Jiao-lin*]

Yan Qing glanced at it and looked away. After all, he didn't live outside, and even if the bounty were ten thousand times higher, it had nothing to do with him. Instead, he began to worry that the others might buckle under the pressure and flee to the Thieves' Home for refuge. If that happened, Yan Qing would be forced to live under the same roof as them.

If they lived together, it would be normal for them to invite him to eat, right? It would be normal to chat, right? It would be normal to visit each other, right?

Damn it, how is this any different from going to work!

I had to deal with useless social interactions before I transmigrated, and now I have to deal with useless social interactions after? Then what was the point of transmigrating?

Is the world so big that it cannot contain a single place to play games in peace?

Yan Qing sighed internally and turned his attention back to the game.

Suddenly, he noticed a new, unfamiliar status effect on 'Night Four's' health bar. When he hovered his cursor over it, the name of the effect stunned him.

[Milestone Title: Demolition Team]

Oh, I did complete that milestone... Wait, what!?